Follow the author of this article

Follow the topics within this article

Police have been accused of turning a blind eye to ecstasy-related crime after figures from the country's biggest police force revealed the number of convictions is dropping.

Ecstasy was linked to 63 deaths in 2016 - the highest number for 16 years, ONS figures show. But despite the number of death certificates referencing the class-A drug increasing, the number of convictions has fallen significantly.

Figures obtained by The Telegraph show the Metropolitan Police recorded 732 ecstasy-related offences in 2012 - this dropped to 408 in 2016 and looks set to fall further with just 171 through the first seven months of 2017.

Faye Allen who died after taking ecstasy with her mother MaxineCredit:
CAVENDISH

Maxine Allen, whose daughter Faye died aged 17 after taking ecstasy at a music event in Manchester, tonight urged police forces and Government to get a grip on the problem.

"When are these people going to learn? Some of them might get away with taking it. But for those that do not, it is the family that have to live through it," she told The Sunday Telegraph.

"More needs to be done about it. The drugs are now being made by people at home. The pill that my daughter took was homemade, it is so dangerous.

"For parents and family members that have to go through it, it is a living nightmare. The psychological pain of it is constant."

Ecstasy is becoming increasingly popular among young people, with those under the age of 30 making up over half of the total number of deaths last year - which also included 11 people below the age of 20.

Niamh Eastwood, executive director of Release, experts on drugs and drug law, said: "The rise in drug-related deaths is a national crisis that needs a nationally-coordinated response.

"The government claims it wants to protect young people from the harms of drugs, yet its new Drug Strategy makes no reference to providing harm reduction services for people who use drugs recreationally.

She added: "The government must fund the forensic testing of drugs, including at nightclubs and music festivals, so that people can be better informed of the purity and content of any pills or powder that they are taking.

"The Government could take steps to prevent people dying from drug related causes but chooses to do nothing.”

Rick Bradley, operations manager of Addaction, said: "When ecstasy rose to popularity in the 1990s, users were more educated about how much they needed to take. Whereas now, there are more naive drug users who do not consider the chance of an overdose."

Ecstasy, also referred to as MDMA ( Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) – its chemical name - is a psychoactive stimulant used recreationally to increase energy levels.

The drug is illegal to have, obtain or sell and its consumption has been linked to liver, kidney and heart problems as it increases heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure.

Scotland Yard said tablets are getting stronger with officers finding some containing more than four times the recognised dose of MDMA.

A Home Office spokesman said: "Any death related to the misuse of drugs is a tragedy.

"That’s why in July the Government released a new drugs strategy, setting out a balanced approach to tackle the illicit drug trade, protect the most vulnerable and help those with drug dependency to recover and turn their lives around.”

When asked why there has been a fall in the number of offences, a Met spokesman said: "The Met will never take a backward step when it comes to protecting our communities from the harms that drug use can create.

"There has been a recent increase in strength seen within some MDMA ecstasy tablets. Some have been found to contain over four times the recognised dose of MDMA. These pose a significant risk to persons unaware of the potency and have been the cause of numerous fatalities across the U.K.

"We urge our communities and those that visit our city not to take any illicit substances. They can kill you and heap misery upon those left behind."